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1.21.2010

People With Front Loaders: Talk To Me

Ok forgive the tiny image - I'm not motivated to search for a great one this morning. Here's the deal. Joe and I bought our first ever brand new washer/dryer set on Black Friday this year. It was/is awesome. We are still psyched, except for one detail that continues to plague us.

As usual, we were browsing at or near bottom-of-the-line. We can't afford the super awesome LG steam situation - so we decided to opt for the super basic until we can.
We ended up going with an Amana set that the salesman explained had the "old technology" meaning - it won't vibrate across the room or flip over on it's side like some of the latest models (a problem due to super high spin cycles).
Anyway - before we left the showroom, the salesman told us repeatedly not to use dryer sheets in front load dryers. He said that the repairman was always telling him that dryer sheets coat the inside of the dryer and block both the sensor and the lint filter and cause the machine to burn out quickly.
I wasn't psyched to hear that - because dryer sheets are the only thing that has ever successfully removed Bernie hair from our clothing. But I thought, I'll just figure something else out.But guess what? I haven't figured something else out - because it turns out nothing else works to get the hair off. Several times now, I have washed something "dirty" e.i. covered in pug hair, only to have it come out just as dirty.
For the uninitiated - pugs shed year round. so the hair thing is no joke.
I have visited message boards where people with top of the line front loaders were discussing this very same thing - some women said that they scrubbed out their lint filter with a toothbrush regularly and that this solved the issue (I guess dryer sheets clog the holes of the filter so that it looks OK but actually can't function). Others said they cleaned both the lint filter AND the sensor - which as far as I know, I can't actually access in my machine. Anyone have any experience with this? It's so annoying.

The salesperson is an idiot. He should have said don't forget to remove the lint each time you use the dryer; you should always do it. Plus, haven't dryers been front loading for years? On my current model you lift the cover out of the door - easy! I'm now using the Bounce dryer Bar and it works like a dream - cat and dog hair whisked away to the lint cover that I can peel off each time I use it. You do not need a toothbrush to do this, just your fingers.What you shouldn't use is fabric softener - that stuff goes black & buggers up your frontloading washing machine!

Hallie, I have a front loader- Kenmore....no problems whatsoever in the past 5 1/2 years I've had it. Just wash your lint screen every month or so. Get back on dryer sheets. I also use liquid fabric softener....so no problems for me with either....just clean the screen!xoxoe

So I just got off the phone with the Amana people and you guys are gonna love this...The customer service dude said it was fine to use dryer sheets as long as I don't add them in the middle of the cycle.Me: Why midcycle?Dude: Because the clothes will already be warmed up and the dryer sheet will stick to them, and you don't want that.Me: Well, when I bought my machine, the salesman told me that the repairman told HIM that dryer sheets coat both the sensor and the lint filer of the dryer which ruins them and can cause the dryer to START FIRES.Dude: Well if I were you, I'd listen to what a technician tells me.Me: But I'm calling YOU because I want the official word FROM YOU on whether or not I can use them.Dude: Well the official words is that it's OK to use them as long as you don't add them mid cycle.Me: Is that somewhere in writing - that I can get a hold of? I just want to be sure. You understand right?Dude: well to tell you the truth, I just googled it.Me: click.Holy Mother Of %*&#!